This Female Comedian Shuts Down Rape Culture, Victim Blaming

This New Zealand comedian uses the logic of rape culture to justify robbing men.

Courtesy of Instagram/[@alicebrine](https://www.instagram.com/p/BEhgg_wnoPE/?taken-by=alicebrine)

Victim blaming is always wrong, and we hear it pretty much all the time when it comes to sexual assault. Whether it's in court, from the police or from friends and family, someone inevitably tries to place blame on the survivor from what they were wearing to whether they had been drinking.

For some reason, it's hard for some people to understand why sexual assault victims aren't responsible, so Alice Brine, a comedian from New Zealand, summed it up in a way that should make it really easy for anyone to understand. Alice flipped the script on victim blaming in a recent Facebook post.

"I'm gunna start going home with random very drunk guys and stealing all of their sh*t. Everything they own," Alice wrote. "It won't be my fault though... they were drunk. They should have known better."

Right from the start, Alice hits the nail on the head. To say that someone should have drank less or not at all to avoid sexual assault is crazy, and not at all how it works. First, no one can prevent sexual assault. Second, no one should have to expect that they are at risk for sexual assault just because they consumed alcohol. In fact, if someone does drink, it's very likely that they aren't even capable of giving consent.

We don't have to explain, though. Alice continues:

"I'll get away with it 90% of the time but then when one brave man takes me to court over it, I'll argue that I wasn't sure if he meant it when he said 'no don't steal my Audi.' I just wasn't sure if he meant it. I said 'Can I please steal your Gucci watch?' He said 'no' but I just wasn't sure if he meant it. He was drunk. He brought this on himself. You should have seen how he was dressed at the club, expensive shirts and shoes. What kind of message is he sending with that!? I thought he wanted me to come and steal all of his sh*t. He was asking for it."

Obviously, no one would ever want you to steal their stuff, and no judge would ever accept Alice's argument in court. But, as Alice points out, an equivalently ludicrous argument about sexual assault is pretty common.

"When he said 'no' to me taking everything he owned I just didn't know if he meant it. 'No' isn't objective enough, it could mean anything," she wrote.

Unfortunately, many people believe that "no" is often up for interpretation. The fact is, though, that no means no. This is exactly why we need more education around consent, and exactly who can and cannot consent in what situations. With more education, maybe everyone would realize that no means no — whether it's about sex or stealing.